The Dread Q&A

How do you make dreads?

It's a technic used in thailand that involves back combing and knotting with a crochet hook. It’s very effective for making dreads FAST. However, the process of getting your hair knotted takes a while. We will be good friends by the time you leave the salon. It can take 4-6 hours, which is the answer to the “why is this process so expensive?” question.

Can I do this at home?

Yes you can, but for most people with Caucasian hair-type it takes between six months and two years to really dread up and get out of that awkward, messy, "can't get a job" phase. Also, at home, it is almost impossible to get desired results. width would be hard to predict and control, and a lot of length would be lost is possible, but not a great idea if you don't know what you're doing. Reading a couple of web sites will not give you this knowledge.

If you are Caucasian, and want dreads, your hair will need a lot of encouragement. No amount of wax, twisting, hoping, or hairspray, is guaranteed to give you dreads. I’m not against the DIY method (I’m poor also), but if you don’t buy and use various detangler hair products, or find yourself screaming every morning while you try to brush your hair, you are not a good candidate for ‘do it yourself’ dreads.

What size will my dreads be?

Depending on the length, texture, and volume of your hair this can very quite a bit, however we can usually get them as thin or as thick as you'd like. We’ll talk.

Will I lose a lot of length?

Not very much at all this technic is really good at not shrinking up the hair.

How do I maintain my dreads?

Many people come back to see me every one the three months for maintenance but in the meanwhile there are many things you can do and products you can use:

Shampoo: I recommend Dr. Bronner's magic soap for shampoo.

Knotty boy and DreadHeadHQ each sell a dread soap. The basic criteria is a soap that does not condition, or have a lot of residues in it (aka- artificial scents). See Dread Maintenance section for more tips on this.

What will my dreads look like when I walk out of the salon?

Your hair will be completely knotted and ready for the magic of dreading that will happen over the next 2-7 days, they will look clean, tight and ready for wear. They will not technically be dreads yet, so they won’t look soft and fluffy and felted, but that will come in the weeks ahead.  The technic pretty much eliminates the first six months-two years awkward phase.

after the first wash(7-10 days) they will look a lot more like dreads that you have had for a while. your dreads will go through it's own phases, possible freak outs, and really settle in. it takes about a month for them to really settle in and look like you've had them for five years. The first few weeks, like any new relationship, has it’s ups and downs. You will start to learn about what is needed for your dreads and how to care for them. Keep in mind - Mistakes will be made, forgiveness will follow. See The Maturing Dread section for more info.

Will my dreads get fuzzy?

Of course they will, silly, but there are products to help with this. See Dread Maintenance section for more tips on this.

What if my dreads start coming apart?

Occasionally there are those sections of hair that don’t want to submit right away and will start to slip out (the top of the head seems to be a popular choice). Just give me a call and come down and I’ll fix it. I offer a months worth of emergency repair free after a full head dreading.

Will my dreads stink?

They really don't have to. If you wash them somewhat regularly (once a week to once a month) and give them a chance to dry completely whenever they get wet, there should be no problem. I am also a firm believer in the use of essential oils. See Dread Maintenance section for more tips on this.

What about a dread perm?

Evil, pure evil and completely not necessary. They are stinky and ineffective, shrinking up the hair, looking cheesy, and often times just come out and most importantly, they introduce harsh chemicals into the body. Bad.

What if I did dread at home or got a dread perm, etc. and I need help?

that falls under the fix-it category and these are my favorite jobs to do

so, if your dreads look like a birds nest or a wet rat, come see me before you shave your head. I won’t distain you...really.

Bugs, lice, fungus, mildew, reeking smells, etc.

DreaHeadHQ has a great section on dealing with these problems. My comments in general about these problems, is that they don’t occur without a lot of neglect from you (the person driving the dreads around). A couple of simple rules I live by should suffice:

1. •If it’s gross, wash it.
   

2. •If it’s crawling, don’t let it get on you.
   

3. •If it’s wet, dry it.
   

4. •It it smells, wash it, then put something that smells better on it.
   

5. •If your friends get up the courage to tell you that you smell; you probably really smell.
   

6. •If you sleep in the dirt, you will get dirty, and things that live in the dirt will get on you. Don’t sleep in the dirt if you don’t want to get dirty.
   

7. •Being kind to others helps almost everything - except bugs, smells, and mildew in your hair - those things require being kind to yourself.